The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (CentreLSD) Thursday, 08 October, commenced the training of 200 rights defenders on strategies to better advocate women and girls’ rights in Nigeria.

Development Diaries learnt that the trainees were selected from Yaba and Ikorodu areas of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.

Participants will learn how to better engage with traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other key community stakeholders to advocate the prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence, according to CentreLSD.

Nearly three in ten Nigerian women have experienced physical violence by age 15, according to the Nigeria Democratic Health Survey (NDHS).

Similarly, the United Nations agency in charge of sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, says that incidents of gender-based violence is growing in a rapid manner with the activities of the insurgency in northeastern Nigeria.

Senior Programme Officer of the organisation, Vincent Dania, said in a statement that the objective of the training was to form identified women and girls’ rights defenders in Yaba and Ikorodu into a formidable force.

‘The training is part of the activities in the implementation of the Male Engagement component of the Spotlight Initiative Project in Lagos and Cross River States by CentreLSD’, the statement read.

The Spotlight Initiative is a joint European Union and United Nations global, multi-year initiative that focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Source: CentreLSD

Photo source: CentreLSD